Composite materials including thermoset resins and fibers have been employed in manufacturing of specialty articles. The processes using these materials are generally labor intensive and require long curing times. Difficulties are also encountered when the thermoset resin is part of a composite material that includes fibers. For example WO 2010/046770 A1 describes making a polymer pre-impregnated reinforcement material using solid particles, but discourages the use of thermoset resins.
The use of dispersions of thermoplastic particles for making glass fibers thermoplastics is described in International Patent Application Nos. WO 02/46276 and WO 99/64216. However, the authors describe that such processes would not be useful with thermoset resins.
There is a desire in the pre-molding article and composite industry for an overall system of polymer matrix and fiber reinforcement which can be processed on a reliable basis and can be readily adoptable for high-volume production.